


I Love You, Angel

by Katrina_Viv



Series: Aziraphale/Crowley Chronicles [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: 6000 Years of Slow Burn, Aromantic Aziraphale, Aromantic Crowley, Asexual Aziraphale (Good Omens), Asexual Crowley (Good Omens), Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Dubcon Kissing, First Kiss, Fluff, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Morality, Queerplatonic Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Sharing a Bed, Tea, Wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 18:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19340320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina_Viv/pseuds/Katrina_Viv
Summary: After the events of the miniseries, Aziraphale and Crowley explore their relationship further.A series of short, cute scenes, some of them inspired by songs.





	1. Love & Kisses

The world had been saved, and Heaven and Hell had been shaken. And now, after all the metaphorical dust had settled, Crowley had come to reminisce with his angelic friend over croissants and tea in a back room of his bookshop. They sat a few feet apart on an antique but well-kept sofa, turned toward each other so they could easily converse.

...

After a while, there was a lull in the conversation, as they both sipped their tea.

“You know...Crowley…” Aziraphale said hesitantly. “I’m sure you’re very aware there are some... _things_...humans do that we have not yet done.”

“Yes? And?” Crowley wasn’t sure where his former frenemy was going with this. “We do plenty of things that humans do. We wear clothes, and eat food, and drink tea, and...and...own bookshops!”

“I just wonder sometimes if I’m missing out on things that I might actually enjoy.”

“What do you mean? You’re not thinking of coming over to the dark side and tempting and tormenting people for fun?!” said Crowley in his typical gruff manner, raising an eyebrow.

“No, not that…” said Aziraphale, setting down his teacup and starting to fidget - tapping his foot on the floor, tugging at his jacket sleeve, and looking in all directions but Crowley’s.

 _What’s gotten into him?_ wondered Crowley.

“I just can’t bring myself to say it directly… You’re the only person - the only _being_ \- that I trust enough for this.” Aziraphale took a deep breath, leaned forward, and quickly kissed Crowley on the mouth before scuttling back to the far end of the sofa, where he scrunched his eyes closed and whispered _"Oh dear Lord forgive me...why did I do that?"_

Crowley pulled off his sunglasses and stared, speechless, at Aziraphale, who was now staring back at him, seemingly frozen in horror at the perceived boundary he had just crossed. The demon was completely surprised, but also intrigued. He had never even thought of kissing Aziraphale - though they had certainly shouted at each other many times with their faces only a few inches apart. Was a kiss that much different? But ethereal beings such as Crowley and Aziraphale were not, generally speaking, interested in doing such odd human things as kissing. Their only interest in kissing was trying to get humans to do it as a means to a greater end - depending on the situation, humans kissing one another could lead to either blessing or temptation. 

But this had happened all too quickly for Crowley to really comprehend what was going on. He had to show his friend that he wasn’t afraid of this new activity. “Let’s try this again,” Crowley said, moving closer to Aziraphale, grasping his shoulders, and kissing him for a few seconds. He thought he felt the angel’s lips flicker into a smile for a fraction of a second before Crowley pulled back. The two then stared at each other again, trying to comprehend the strangeness of what had just happened.

Crowley frowned. Though he had tried many, many things over his millennia of existence, he had never been so emotionally intimate with someone as he was with Aziraphale. Because of that, he had never thought of kissing anyone at all. And now that he had, he didn’t see the point. It was all so strange. Mouths were put to much better use eating, drinking, breathing, and speaking. How many humans had lived and died seeking out this sort of affection, while to Crowley it just seemed pointless and awkward? He would much rather touch his friend in other ways, such as hugging or holding hands, even just sitting close together.

Luckily, Aziraphale felt the same. In the moment, he had been overjoyed that Crowley decided to return the kiss, but ultimately, it seemed pointless. He would have been blushing from embarrassment at this moment if he were a mere human, but instead he just clasped his hands together, fidgeting awkwardly and looking at the ground.

After a few moments, Aziraphale looked up again, fixated on Crowley’s unusual eyes - a demonic trait that as an angel he should hate, but instead adored. “Let’s not do that again,” he said, then smiled apologetically. “I didn’t like it as much as I thought I might.”

“Agreed, angel.” Crowley was so glad to hear that they agreed on this.

“Still, I love you, and I have loved you for a very long time.”

Crowley had never said that he loved anyone before, but he had to agree. “Me too,” he said, hugging Aziraphale tightly. “I...love you too.”

“I hope we can be friends forever,” said Aziraphale into Crowley’s shoulder.

“I know we’ll both do everything in our power to make that happen,” replied Crowley.

After they had hugged for a while, Crowley got up and prepared a fresh pot of tea. The two then resumed sharing their favorite memories since the dawn of time, sitting much closer together now as they sipped from their teacups.


	2. Nightmares

"It's getting late," said Aziraphale. "I hate to say it, but I should go."

"You don't have to go!" said Crowley. "Stay here with me. I have nightmares about the time your bookshop burned down and I thought I'd lost you forever."

Aziraphale was still a bit worried and hypervigilant about being discovered fraternizing with the enemy...but he didn't really care about that very much anymore.

"Okay," he said. "What do we do now?"

"Come to bed with me! I'll sleep so much better if I know you're right there."

"All right then." Aziraphale followed Crowley to his bedroom, which was large but sparsely decorated. He had a king-sized bed with a lot of pillows piled on top.

"I'm guessing you'd like to hang up your clothes overnight, so feel free to borrow these," Crowley said, tossing a set of his red silk pajamas to Aziraphale. Too modest to change clothes in front of his friend, Aziraphale ducked into the next room, changed clothes faster than humanly possible, then returned to hang up his daytime outfit in Crowley's large closet.

Crowley, now in pajamas too, had taken off his sunglasses and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting for him.

"I -- I'm just a little hesitant," said Aziraphale. “I've never shared a bed with a demon before."

Crowley laughed. "It'll be absolutely fine! We’ve _swapped bodies_ before! You’re not going to burst into flames."

They both got under the covers, ending up right side by side right in the middle of the bed. Aziraphale was not at all sure what to do, so he waited for Crowley to say something.

Crowley turned toward his friend. "Can I put my arm around you like this?"

"I suppose so."

Aziraphale was still nervous, thinking about the possible heavenly trouble he could be getting into, but he felt safe and warm in Crowley’s embrace.

The demon held his friend close as they fell asleep.

…

The next morning, Aziraphale awoke first. After half a second of disorientation, he remembered where he was. He tried to gently stretch his arm and leg muscles without disturbing Crowley. Crowley still seemed to be asleep, but after Aziraphale started to move, Crowley mumbled "I love you, angel."

Aziraphale smiled. He would cherish this moment forever. It was the second time Crowley had said "love," and he probably wasn't even fully conscious of saying it this time. _He loves me,_ thought Aziraphale. _There is so much good in him, even if he doesn't realize or admit it._ He reached over to gently hold one of Crowley's hands.

…

Miraculously, Crowley hadn't had any nightmares. He remembered saying "I love you, angel," at some point, but he was pretty sure that had just been a dream. He awoke to find Aziraphale's hand on his, as the angel gazed at him with an expression of pure love and joy.

"Good morning, angel," he mumbled.

"Good morning, Crowley."

"You know, angel, we should do this more often... that's the best I've slept in a long time. No nightmares."

"I prayed that you wouldn't have any."

Crowley felt deeply touched by this, but of course he wouldn't say so.

"Shall we get some breakfast, angel?" he asked. "How about some mimosas?"

"That would be lovely," replied Aziraphale.


	3. A 6,000-Year Slow Burn

Crowley followed Aziraphale out the door of his flat as the angel left to go work in his bookshop.

"Will you please come back and spend another night with me?" Crowley called out to his friend.

Aziraphale stopped, turned around, and smiled. "Yes, Crowley. Perhaps a nice dinner first?"

…

This night was much less awkward than the one prior. After dinner, the two friends could hardly keep their hands off each other; they hugged and nuzzled and stroked each other's hair. Early on, Crowley took off his sunglasses so they wouldn’t get in the way. They leaned on each other and ran their hands across each other’s shoulders and back. Each put a hand on the other's knee as they sat on Crowley’s leather sofa and sipped their bedtime drinks - red wine for Crowley and Earl Grey tea for Aziraphale. There were quite a few moments where, if they had been humans, they would probably have kissed. 

"Why do things feel so much easier tonight?" asked Aziraphale as they got ready for bed. 

"You've finally let your guard down! You know, this has really been a 6,000-year slow burn. It was bound to happen after everything we've been through," explained Crowley. “I knew I liked you ever since you gave your flaming sword away.”

Once they were finally under the covers, they snuggled tightly together, legs entwined a bit, and fell asleep much more easily than they had the night before.


	4. Thriller

"Can I stay the night at your place sometime?" asked Crowley. "Or is your bookshop too holy for that?"

Aziraphale thought this was rather amusing. "It's just a regular bookshop, most of the time at least. It's just not as fancy as where you live."

"That's quite all right," said Crowley. "You're my best friend! You don't have to be shy about where you live!"

"Thank you, Crowley. I'm afraid my bedroom is quite humble compared to yours."

…

"I brought my own pajamas, Aziraphale. No need to worry about that. What do you normally wear to bed anyway?"

"Well, since I like to be fully clothed at all times...I'd wear my everyday clothes to bed if I wasn't worried about wrinkling them. So I do have some pajamas in this drawer here…" Aziraphale found a set of white linen pajamas in his dresser drawer.

"Those look like they suit you perfectly, angel."

Crowley snapped his fingers, instantly changing them into their pajamas...the wrong pajamas.

"You sly devil!" exclaimed Aziraphale, seeing Crowley in his own angelic-white nightclothes.

Crowley laughed. "It's just a little joke." He snapped his fingers again, so that they were each in their preferred set of pajamas.

"I know my bed is a lot smaller than yours," said Aziraphale, "but I think there's still room enough for two."

"Now is the time, for you and I to cuddle close together…" Crowley sang softly.

"What?! Michael Jackson's music is NOT holy. I forbid you to sing that in my home."

"Are you sure? The song could be about me, you know. I'm the 'something evil lurking in the dark.'"

"You fiend!" said Aziraphale, though Crowley could tell he wasn't completely serious.

"Now," continued Aziraphale, "what I typically do at bedtime is read a book by candlelight, or listen to some classical music...Ah! I think you will like this - Edvard Grieg. Beautiful melodies with a bit of spookiness here and there."

Crowley smiled at his friend. "You've thought of everything, haven't you."

"Not quite everything...I haven't decided how I'd most like to snuggle tonight. We can figure that out together."


	5. Trouble in Tahiti

Crowley showed up to the bookshop early one morning, so early that the angel was still getting himself ready for the coming day. Aziraphale let his friend inside, then walked away humming a happy tune as he went to go find the perfect bow tie.

“What are you humming, angel?” Crowley called out.

“Oh, it’s a song!” exclaimed Aziraphale. “Perfect for a bright and sunny morning.”

“A song, is it?! What else would it be?” Crowley mumbled to himself.

When Aziraphale returned, he was actually singing the lyrics.

"Morning sun, kisses the windows, kisses the walls…" sang Aziraphale. "Kisses the door knob, kisses the roof of the little white house in Scarsdale...Su-bur-bia!"

"What are you singing?!"

"Oh, just a little ditty. The beginning of _Trouble in Tahiti_ , music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein. That's really the only part I like, though. It's not a very happy or wholesome story…then again, most opera isn't… Well, there is one more line from _Trouble in Tahiti_ that I like...'Six feet tall, and each foot just incredible,'" he sang softly as he looked Crowley up and down with a sly smile.

"You _naughty_ angel!"

"I'm not naughty! I just love you! And you’re not at all bad to look at."


	6. Independent

"Do you ever wonder what you would have been like had you not strayed from your original duties as an angel?" asked Aziraphale.

"Nah. Not really. I was always a rebel. I would have gotten in trouble sooner or later."

"Ha. Well, I turned out to be a bit of a rebel too. I don't think Gabriel and the others want me back."

"Besides, if I wasn't a demon we would never have had as many fun run-ins as we did early on! We would never have started our 'arrangement'! No matter what anyone else says...I think this could have all been destined from the very start. Maybe a little experiment concocted by the Almighty."

"I do really appreciate what you said about us being on _our_ side, Crowley. There's definitely some good in you, and a little something…"

"Evil?" interrupted Crowley with a grin. "Bad? Heinous?"

"No!" exclaimed Aziraphale. "There's a little something... _independent_ about me."

“And worldly.”

“I suppose that’s true. But God so loved the world! I love the world too! I might as well enjoy as much of it as I can!”


	7. Ineffable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to break the fourth wall.

“Aziraphale, did you know that our fans think we act like a married couple? They even call us the ‘Ineffable Husbands’!”

Aziraphale flinched. “Angels cannot marry. It says so in the Bible. Matthew twenty-two, verse thirty!”

“I think we’re definitely lifelong partners, though.”

Aziraphale smiled mischievously. “I love you.”

Crowley chuckled softly.

“We can never call ourselves married, though,” insisted Aziraphale. “We have to maintain plausible deniability in case the beings upstairs try to get us in any more trouble. Besides, marriage is a strictly human thing with great theological significance! It’s not just about love. It’s about creating a safe environment for people to have children, carry on their family line, and ultimately move society forward. It also foreshadows God’s union with His people. There is no valid reason why angels and demons should be included in that.”

“You’re right.” said Crowley. “But they can never erase the fact that you’re my best friend.”

“And you’re _my_ best friend...I’d say, the closest thing to a husband that I could have...oh dear, did I say that out loud?”

“Oh, shut up, you ineffable angel!”


	8. Too Fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the song "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." It was written by Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff and recorded by Elvis Presley.

_“You go too fast for me, Crowley.”_ Aziraphale’s own words echoed through his mind as Crowley sped down a country road in his black Bentley. Aziraphale had begrudgingly agreed to go for more car rides, as long as they stayed out of the busy city. He had seen too many near-misses when Crowley was driving like a maniac. At least out here with no one else around, he felt a little safer. And this time, Crowley had agreed to Aziraphale’s request to bring a picnic.

Crowley finally slowed down and stopped once they arrived at the isolated area they had chosen together from an old map.

“It’s lovely!” exclaimed Aziraphale.

“Wait, though,” said Crowley, as Aziraphale reached to open the car door. “I want you to hear this music I brought along.”

“Why must I hear more of your unholy music?” asked Aziraphale with feigned indignance. 

“Just _listen,_ ” said Crowley as he slipped an Elvis CD into the car’s CD player. “I--I’ve been trying to decide how to tell you something, but the words never come out quite right. This song seems to do a better job. Now, listen.”

> _Hold me close, hold me tight, make me thrill with delight_  
>  _Let me know where I stand from the start_  
>  _I want you, I need you, I love you, with all my heart_
> 
> _Every time that you're near, all my cares disappear_  
>  _Darling, you're all that I'm living for_  
>  _I want you, I need you, I love you, more and more_
> 
> _I thought I could live without romance until you came to me_  
>  _But now I know that I will go on loving you eternally_
> 
> _Won't you please be my own? Never leave me alone_  
>  _'Cause I die every time we're apart_  
>  _I want you, I need you, I love you with all my heart_  
> 

“What are you trying to tell me with this?” asked Aziraphale, confused. “I _know_ you love me.”

“The important part is ‘I want you, I _need_ you,’” replied Crowley. “Along with ‘Never leave me alone, because I die every time we’re apart.’ Of course, I’m not literally dying, but...Aziraphale, I want you to move in with me, permanently. I know we see each other practically every day, but I really miss you when you’re not there, and I still worry that I might lose you again, like the time your bookshop caught on fire.”

Aziraphale wasn’t sure what to say.

“You can still have your bookshop!” Crowley continued. “You just won't have to actually live there. Just think, every day we could wake up together, eat breakfast together, I could give you a ride to work...after work you’d come back to my place, we’d do whatever sounded good to us for the rest of the evening, and then we’d do it all over again the next day, and the next, for as long as it makes sense to live in London.”

“Crowley...my friend…” Aziraphale felt so much love in his heart for Crowley. He knew how hard it probably was for Crowley to admit that he was lonely and worried sometimes. He wasn’t sure how to reply in a way that wouldn’t break his friend’s heart.

Crowley waited. He would wait as long as necessary to hear his friend’s answer.

“I...can’t say yes at the moment,” said Aziraphale carefully. “I’m not saying no! I’m just saying, I’m not comfortable with that right now. Maybe we can revisit this in a few years.” _Again, you go too fast for me, Crowley,_ he thought.

“And why not??? Angel, you’re all I have left to live for. They don’t want me in Hell, they don’t want me in Heaven...you’re the only one I care about anymore.”

“I am so sorry to hear that...Crowley, I love you so much, and I want you to find other things to live for, too! You see, I still have other things to consider...I may not be receiving orders from above right now, but I still want to be a good angel, helping out where I can, doing small miracles here and there…I want some plausible deniability in case anyone from above decides to check up on me. If they find out I’ve actually moved in with the enemy, well, I have nothing to prove them wrong, do I?”

“If they wanted to get you in trouble right now, they already would have. You already spend plenty of time at my house.”

“You’re probably right...well...I suppose...I’m just afraid. You’ve turned your back on everyone else you know, but I haven’t. I want to stay on God’s good side, if nothing else. Yet I also love you so, so much.”

Crowley took a minute to process all this silently.

“I’m having trouble fully comprehending your reasons...but I don’t suppose I can change your mind. But I promise I will make it worth your while. I will give you anything you want if you move in with me.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

More silence ensued.

Aziraphale thought about another reason he preferred to have his own living space - he was a very independent angel, and enjoyed having the entire bookshop to himself at night. Snuggling with Crowley was fun, but he also enjoyed the nights he spent alone with a book. But saying any of this would likely make his friend feel worse right now.

“Still up for a picnic?” said Aziraphale finally.

“Yes, angel. And all right, we can discuss this further in perhaps a few years. Just know that you are always welcome in my home.”

They both got out of the car, retrieved their food and wine from the backseat, and let all their disagreements float away as they ate, drank, and then lay on the grass, watching clouds and birds sail by overhead.


	9. Negotiation

"Crowley... remember when you said that you'd give me anything I wanted if I moved in with you?"

Crowley, startled, sat up straighter. "Why, yes, angel."

"This is all very hypothetical right now… But if we were to go ahead and -- oh goodness me, somehow live together as a being of light and a being of darkness -- well, I've thought of a few things."

"Oh, have ye?"

"I'd want us to have separate bedrooms. I am so used to the solitude of my bookshop -- I can't imagine living somewhere where I don't have my own personal space. We can share sometimes -- just not all the time. Next, what if we combined our current lifestyles? We could see about expanding my living quarters in the bookshop perhaps? Or build a new home together somewhere else, and move the bookshop there? I just love my books too much to move away from them."

"Ah, I see," said Crowley.

"You could bring all your plants!"

"I could, could I?"

"Yes! Of course, this is all very hypothetical. I'm not saying I want to do it anytime soon. Just saying we could."

"How do you feel about things like my 'unholy' music?"

"We could...work that out. Perhaps agree to listen to your music only in certain rooms, or at certain times."

"I could do that," said Crowley.

"And you'd have to respect that I am still doing my best to serve God."

"I'll let you do that, angel. I just want you to be happy."

Aziraphale smiled in the cute way that Crowley loved. "I appreciate that. Very much. All right then, it's something to think about for the indeterminate future."

Aziraphale sipped his tea, and Crowley just sat there, silently processing all that Aziraphale had said.


	10. Temptation

"Crowley…when did you last do anything bad?"

"Huh?"

"I think that you're becoming less and less demon-like."

Crowley turned on Aziraphale with a snarl. "What are you talking about?" he hissed.

"When did you last tempt anyone into sinning?"

Crowley's face softened. "Uh… Actually… I'm not sure about that…" he stammered. "I mean, neither of us has had any official assignments for a while."

"Even with no official heavenly assignments, I still find ways to do good," said Aziraphale. "Just this past week, I helped influence three future married couples to meet for the first time. That always makes me so joyous! I also prevent a lot of car accidents, and make sure that people safely get to church on Sundays." The angel's face beamed with joy as he recounted his adventures. "So tell me, Crowley, have you done a single demonic thing of your own accord recently?"

"I've tempted a few people to start political arguments on Facebook recently… But besides that...I don't think there’s been much else. Does it count as temptation if I'm buying wine and give the other customers recommendations?"

"Why, Crowley, you have really changed a lot. For the better, in my opinion."

"Yeah...well...if I'm not getting any credit for it, I'd rather just drive my car, or listen to music, or watch horror films, or watch my plants grow big enough to take over the plant room."

"And all that is perfectly fine with me."

"I'm STILL a demon though, don't you forget that. I can transform into a snake anytime I want."

"I never forget, Crowley."


End file.
